Attitudes and behaviour of women towards cardiovascular disease prevention

OBJECTIVE: To find out the attitudes and behaviour of women towards preventive activities related to cardiovascular disease. METHOD: Cross-sectional descriptive study, through a self-completion questionnaire, in three Health Centres in Toledo (Spain). A total of 539 women between 18 and 65 years old answered an ad hoc developed questionnaire that contained items on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours in preventive practices. RESULTS: The mean age was 40.4 years age; 361 (66.7%) came from urban areas; 354 (65.4%) were married; 221 (40.8%) had university studies; 382 (70.8%) were working; 432 (83.2%) believed that the leading cause of death in women was cancer; 174 (32.4%) said they had annual preventive medical check-ups; 411 (76.8%) considered it very dangerous to smoke, but 159 (30.0%) currently smoked. Alcohol consumption was considered very dangerous by 232 (43.4%); 92 (17.2%) were regular consumers (almost every week). Only 128 (23.8%) did exercise one or more times per week. Only 127 (24.0%) followed some type of diet. At least one annual BP and laboratory tests (cholesterol and blood sugar) were measured in 68.4%, 64.1% and 53.9%, respectively. A total of 266 (51.7%) had been advised once on their lifestyle by a healthcare professional. CONCLUSIONS: The impact of cardiovascular disease in women is underestimated. Our population seemed concerned about the risk of certain habits but this was not always translated into a healthy lifestyle. It seems that our advice may not change the behaviour of women in many cases, but it does increase the number of clinical and analytical controls. We must insist on the prevention of cardiovascular risk in women and improve the effectiveness of our interventions.